Movie soundtracks used in old-school KF films

[Jimbo]

357 - Fist of Fury Soundtrack, "Suzuki's Theme"

Note:
I always prefer to find the original source of any music tracks that I include in this thread. However, in some (or many) cases, this task is very difficult. This track was very obviously borrowed for use in Fist of Fury (where it is most familiar). As I've done with some other tracks, I'm adding this track now, and hopefully I (or someone else) can identify its original source at some future point.

This track is heard in:
Fist of Fury
Dragon Inn (1967)
Shaolin Martial Arts
The Pirate
And others...

[jethro]

Awesome job Jimbo. Somebody needs to make a website about this so it is all catalogued and alphabetized. It would be an amazing resource! Once again awesome job!

BTW are you ever going to come back to Kung fu fandom? It's on shaolinchamber36.com now.

[mickey]

Greetings Jimbo,

I managed to save this from last week when I saw something strange going on at the forum. I may have been the last person to try to post last Friday(correction: Saturday AM). Here it goes:

For some reason, I picked up on your call for assistance.

Listening to "Suzuki's theme" gave me images of horror films. What popped up in my consciousness was "Hammer films". I did a search and found no Hammer references. But it did lead me to a horror film that was double featured with a Japanese-American horror film. The Japanese-American film was called "The Manster"(1959). This film featured a scientist by the name of Dr Suzuki. I found it on youtube. I remember the movie to be pretty decent for it's time

Compare the section from :50 to 1:02 of what you posted with the theme playing from 11:24 to 12:07 in the movie. There is a slight difference. The original has groupings of three notes while the one in your posting FOF uses groupings of four. The timbre is different suggesting the use of a different orchestra for FOF. For them to add a fourth note is a major faux pas in my opinion; i.e., if this is the source for this piece. The score was done by Hirooki Ogawa. Maybe he recorded it again and added the note.

The comparison is way too close for it to be from anywhere/anyone else:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4BrwSSAj2M


mickey

[Jimbo]

Jethro:

Nice to hear from you again! And thank you, my friend. I checked out the Kung fu fandom site, and it appears to be the same format as the old kungfucinema forums. I may join again, IF the registration isn't the same as kungfucinema. I was one of (apparently) several people who, for no reason whatsoever, were permanently banned from KFC by Mark Pollard(?) many years back when they upgraded, and it left a sour taste in my mouth. Oddly enough, I have bought 36 chambers T-shirts in the past, but hadn't really noticed the forums at that site before.

mickey:

Thanks a lot for the link. I remembered this movie as a kid, but hadn't remembered its soundtrack. The part you pointed out does have some remarkable similarities to "Suzuki's Theme", but I'm not sure that it's the same composer. "Suzuki's Theme" could very well be a Japanese movie track, as Japanese tracks were used a LOT during the 'borrowed tracks era' of HK and Taiwan KF films. Most people with a cursory familiarity with the KF movie 'borrowed tracks' era tend to think they were all borrowed from American or Italian westerns, when in reality, a high percentage were from Japanese movies...and far more than just Godzilla movies.

Also, some composers' instrumentals share some similarities in terms of sound. An example would be part of the main theme of an Italian movie, Hercules Unchained (1959) by Enzo Masetti, as well as the soundtrack of The Four Days of Naples (1961) by Carlo Rustichelli, have orchestral similarities to some tracks in Akai Koya (1961) by Taichiro Kosugi. Akai Koya's main theme is entry #336, but there are several other tracks from the movie that were borrowed by KF films and are not on YouTube.

So while it is possible that "Suzuki's Theme" is by Hirooki Ogawa, it is not necessarily a given. But I appreciate your work, and you have given me another direction to look into. I do agree that "Suzuki's Theme" sounds like it's from a horror (or at least a suspense) film.

[mickey]

Greetings Jimbo,

I bet you Gene's trunk with the triple lock on it that it is the same composer. I knew I got the right person from the first violent scene at the beginning. And I do understand what you mean by similarities in orchestral style. This piece had me checking to see if Hirooshi Ogawa had anything to do with Sonny Chiba's Streetfighter movies.


mickey

[Jimbo]

Greetings Jimbo,

I bet you Gene's trunk with the triple lock on it that it is the same composer. I knew I got the right person from the first violent scene at the beginning. And I do understand what you mean by similarities in orchestral style. This piece had me checking to see if Hirooshi Ogawa had anything to do with Sonny Chiba's Streetfighter movies.


mickey

mickey,

It's too bad there's not much of Ogawa's work on YouTube. In fact, it's amazing how much stuff is NOT available online.

[Jimbo]

358 - Born Invincible soundtrack

Another example of a rare, difficult-to-find track whose original source I've been unable to identify. IMO, it sounds like it's from a 1950s-era war movie or western.

This track is heard in:
Born Invincible
18 Fatal Strikes

[Jimbo]

359 - Zatoichi the Outlaw (1967)

Asagorou (by Sei Ikeno)

Heard in:
The Shaolin Avengers

[Jimbo]

360 - Chariots of the Gods (1970)*

*an addition to entry #252

This track is heard in:
Of Cooks and Kung Fu
Enter Three Dragons
And others...

Lake Titicaca (by The Peter Thomas Sound Orchestra)

[Jimbo]

361 - The South Shaolin Master (1984)

(Original soundtrack theme)

This movie is my all-time favorite of the mainland Chinese KF films, from back in the era when their movies showcased the top wushu athletes of that period (1980s).

*Note: the pic has nothing to do with the movie or its theme song.

[brucelu]

hello

i have a small question
does smb know the name if this song from

zen kwan do strikes paris with john liu

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8B_jUX1NBs

thx
and sry if post is wrong here

[Jimbo]

hello

i have a small question
does smb know the name if this song from

zen kwan do strikes paris with john liu

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8B_jUX1NBs

thx
and sry if post is wrong here

Hi.

That music is also heard in Secret Rivals and Secret Rivals 2. I personally don't know where it's from, but it's one of the tracks I've been on the lookout for, for years. It definitely sounds European to me, possibly French(?) or Italian. I'll post it up if/when I do find it, unless someone else beats me to it.

[Jimbo]

362 - Scene De Desolation (by Edward Michael)

This DeWolfe Music Library track is heard in several Shaw Brothers KF films, including:
The 36th Chamber of Shaolin
Five Element Ninjas
And others...

[Jimbo]

363 - Electrobeds Vol. 2, Side B (by Ronald Marquisee)

Many from this DeWolfe Music Library album are heard in numerous Shaw Brothers KF comedies. Here I am only mentioning a couple of the tracks and a single cue, because some of these types of tracks, and the sheer number of movies they're heard in, can become hard to differentiate after awhile.

The brief cue heard from 3:59 - 4:01 is heard in numerous SB KF comedies.

Electro Links No. 10, from 5:16 - 5:47, is heard in:
Five Superfighters

Electro Links No. 11, from 5:51 - 6:20, is heard in:
Five Superfighters
And others...

[brucelu]

364 - "The Diamond Mercenaries" (Killer Force) Main Title by Georges Garvarenz

used as theme in the chinese stuntman with bruce li